1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to game applications of a computer. More particularly, the subject invention relates to the coordination of a computer game from more than one location.
2. Description of the Related Art
The computer games which are commonly referred to as video games are games run by dedicated computers, i.e., computers hardwired for a specific purpose, using a video screen for a visual output. These video games are prevalent in the home environment because they can be connected to the television allowing children to play these games in the safety of the home.
A problem with the modern video games is that virtually all video games are designed to be played locally. In other words, the game software, game hardware, video modulator and video screen are all connected locally via cables. Player controls which relay player commands to the game are normally connected by means of removable cables. Therefore, in order for a player to compete with someone other than the computer, that person must leave the home or have someone come into the game-owner's home. This is a problem particularly for children who must rely on adults for transportation. In addition, it is a redundancy of parts because between the two players, assuming each owns the game, one game will always be dormant during the competition.
An example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,161 to Baer, issued on Nov. 18, 1975. This invention details a game system connected to a television having two player ports and alternative input devices. The players, however, are limited in distance from the game due to the length of the cables connecting the controls to the game and the players' visibility of the television.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,851 to Okor, issued Nov. 21, 1978, shows an improvement to the video game wherein the type of game and the level at which it is to be played is programmable. Again, the video game limits the locality of the players to the immediate proximity of the television.
Although not a video game, a method and apparatus of transmitting and recording computer-generated displays is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,750 to Karweit, issued Jan. 10, 1989. The computer-generated image and audio signals are sent to a computer display. The same line of transmission is split wherein the same transmission is sent to an RS 232 communications line. The RS 232 communications line readies the transmission to be sent to a modem which, in turn, converts the transmission into audio tones to be transported over such medium as telephone lines to be received by such devices as other computers or a video camera recorder (VCR). This system, however, lacks the ability to coordinate the transmission of an image along with a command signal input by a player. In other words, the subject invention of this patent can only convert and transmit data and is incapable of transmitting command signals in a manner which will make sense to another player receiving the transmission when these signals are incorporated into the signals generated by the receiver.
Again, not being a video game but a representation of the transmission of pictorial data, U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,767 to Saito et al, issued on Jul. 3, 1990, discloses an improved method and apparatus, typically referred to as a FAX machine, for sending images over telephone lines. This system forms non-signal states wherein data signals follow immediately thereafter. This system does disclose any ability to coordinate different types of data, i.e., command, visual and audio signals. It merely converts images into a data signal and sends the data signal over the telephone line to be received by a visual telephone or FAX machine.